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  3. Polycarbonate

Polycarbonate

Side view of a beaker set showing the handle.

Acronym and details:   PC

Group:   thermoplastic

Developed:   from 1958

Trade names:   Makrolon

Manufacturing process:   blow moulding; extrusion; injection moulding

Cost:   medium

Colour:  

Transparency:   transparent to opaque

Rigidity:   rigid

Feel:   hard

Smell:   none

Other:   can be outstandingly strong

Typical uses:   safety and space helmets; compact discs and DVDs; as copolymer as mobile phone housings; car components; large bottles; glass substitute

Degradation:   stable but can crack

Projects

Open residency call A curator's guide to plastics
What are plastics? Identifying plastics Plastics timeline Plastics materials
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene Bois durci Casein formaldehyde Cellulose acetate Cellulose nitrate Glass-reinforced plastic Gutta percha Horn Melamine formaldehyde Phenol formaldehyde Polyacetal Polyamide Polycarbonate Polyester Polyethylene Polyethylene terephthalate Polylactide polymethyl methacrylate Polypropylene Polystyrene polyurethane Polyvinyl chloride Shellac Silicone Urea formaldehyde Vulcanised rubber
Plastics manufacturing processes Care of plastics Methodology and contributors
Identifying plastics toolkit Confronting plastics preservation A curator's guide to synthetic garments Synthetica w-Rap Plastic Vanitas Residencies Symbiosis Photographic challenge 10 Most Wanted Plastics SSN MoDiPDiP Effective collections

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